QinetiQ Australia to design and construct UAS flight test range in Queensland, Australia

June 4, 2020 | AUVSI News

QinetiQ Australia has been awarded a contract to design and construct a UAS flight test range (FTR) at Cloncurry Aerodrome in North West Queensland on behalf of the Queensland Government. 

The FTR will include access to a commercial quality runway, dedicated hangar and workshop, a range control center, and a range control system that includes a primary surveillance radar and other surveillance and tracking equipment. The FTR will also have dedicated airspace and regulatory approvals for UAS FTR operations.

“The Queensland Government has a vision to be a world leader in UAS technologies and QinetiQ is proud to support this through the creation of the flight test range facility at Cloncurry,” says QinetiQ Australia Managing Director Greg Barsby.

“Together with our partners, QinetiQ manages some of the world’s most advanced range facilities across the land, maritime and aerospace domains. By drawing on our global experience, QinetiQ and our partners will deliver this facility, the largest of its kind in the region.”

The facility will offer an initial capability that supports all weight classes of UAS for routine flying operations, demonstration activities and test and evaluation trials of moderate complexity. Future phases of development will support the full range of ground and flight test activity, with the FTR serving as an Australian home to conduct highly complex developmental test programs. 

According to Queensland Minister for State Development, Tourism and Innovation Kate Jones, the project will provide a “key missing element for UAS research and development.”

“The Queensland Government was the first in Australia to launch a drone strategy, and now we’re well on the way to becoming the nation’s drone technology capital,” Jones says.

Jones adds that QinetiQ has been appointed to manage the construction of the facility, which is expected to be finished later this year.